Meet PhD graduate Dr Tym Yee
Dr Tym Yee is an emerging artist living and working in Sydney, Australia, on the traditional lands of the Darug and Guringai people.
Tym Yee – PhD graduate story
Drawing on his lived experiences as a second generation Chinese Australian and through the use of unconventional materials, he offers a distinct interpretation of contemporary Australian life through conceptual installations and paintings.
Tym graduated from Macquarie University in 2023, following the successful examination of his PhD thesis, An Ethnographic Study of Employee Digital Media Practices in Innovative Knowledge Work Settings.
Research topic summary
My researched looked into how the concept of “innovation” is mediated through technology in everyday office settings. I used art making workshops to facilitate critical discussions with white collar knowledge workers to understand how this concept influences their everyday experience of work, and how this is changing the employment landscape more broadly.
Motivation and next steps
My academic research was directly informed by my lived experience in the world. My employment conditions were changing and I wanted to understand why.
While working in the corporate sector I noticed a few emerging trends in the workplace. First that the word “innovation” was appearing in a lot of company communications. Second that it was generally used in vague terms as a catchall stand in. Third that my own experience of work was becoming more precarious with perm roles moving to contract roles, redundancies and restructures becoming more prevalent.
These three factors made me want to understand how the idea of “innovation” was being invoked in a changing workplace and what the implications might be. The creative practice element of my research was influenced by a summer internship I did at the Berkman Klein Center at the Harvard Law School, where I met a group of artists who created artworks as part of their research process.
In terms of next steps, having completed the PhD, I am back in the corporate world. I have also exhibited some of the artworks I created during my research process and have a few shows booked in for the next year that build on this work.
Graduate research career highlight
In 2020 I was lucky enough to be awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for my PhD research. Sadly I wasn’t able to participate in the program due to COVID-19, however I worked virtually as an Affiliate at metaLAB@Harvard, which was a really enriching experience that connected me with so many inspiring researchers and artists.
Advice to fellow graduate researchers
I think every grad researcher needs to know a few things to get over that finish line.
- Your relationship with your supervisor will have an immense impact on your research journey so make sure you find the right supervisor for your project.
- A PhD needs structure. Not just your writing, but your approach to research, your file management system, your draft chapter deadlines, your conversations with your supervisor.
- Make sure you understand your own motivation for sacrificing so much and working so hard. You’ll need to dig deep when the going gets tough so knowing your ‘why’ is crucial.
Tym completed his PhD with the School of Humanities at Macquarie University. He now works as Talent Marketing Manager at Foxtel Group, while practicing as an artist.